Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Edited Out (Murder in Boston Series) by Cynthia Westland

Italian-American Carla Ferrari, a former police officer, the
daughter of a police officer, is a private investigator in Boston, in the U.S, in Edited Out, Book Two in the Murder in Boston Series.She has the P.I.'s requisite quirky, mouthy
receptionist.She also has a close-knit
Italian-American family, and a hunky on-again-off-again boyfriend.There is a growing genre of book that has all
these elements, providing an ethnically flavored crime-romance-comedy for fans.

Carla could easily be a male character considering all the
tropes surrounding her.

She has:"...an
obsession for justice that made law enforcement her only source of
fulfillment."

And she has a very cool car:"a 1953 silver Alfa Romeo Disco Volante"

And a dog name Como, after the crooner Perry Como.

But she is described as:"...the gorgeous blonde with long legs and a body like a Playboy
pin-up..."

The humor in Edited Out comes mostly from the characters of
Carla's mother and Carla's sassy, stupid yet loyal receptionist.Lots of Italian words and culture and food
fly about those two characters, and among the families and the Italian
community.Some people might consider
the characters stereotypical, others might find them realistic, but they are
flat characters, mainly there to provide some lightness to the story.

Carla's overprotective and intrusive Italian-born mother has the
juiciest dialog in the book:

You know, Carla, Cousin Joe still has a job waiting
for you at the mortadella factory.All
you got to do is say the word, and you can get a job like normal people.

And Carla's relationship with her mother provides some
tension in the story:

She'd rather explain to the Pope why she didn't go to
mass for ten years, than explain to her mother why she wasn't going to be able
to make dinner...

The one element that seemed out of place is the vulgarity
in the Italian-born mother's speech:she
calls men "hanging provolone".Inexplicably, Italian mom hasn't taught her daughter that
"cannoli" is plural, and "cannolo" is the singular for the
dessert.

There is a grittiness to the story, too, with death, widows,
cops, and dark Boston settings, not to mention the main character's grief about her
breakup with Nick Calvi, a homicide detective.

Carla knelt down to see the remains of a once vibrant
young man, someone who lived, loved and then died on a cool, spring night in
Boston.

At its best moments, the writing is reminiscent of Elmore
Leonard or Robert B. Parker or Raymond Chandler.Imagine a depressive Humphrey Bogart, with
his wiseacre receptionist, and the crying female client who walks into the
office.Set them all in Boston, and lace
the dialog with Boston slang. But don't forget that Humphrey is a woman in this P.I. series.

The writing is not always consistent, however, seemingly a
blend of the Noir P.I. style and the cozy murder mystery style with the
narration in 3rd person limited.The
details of the criminal case become swamped by the cozy fun, and Carla's work
is not always as sharp as one would expect from a former policewoman.

But if you enjoy an Italian-flavored cozy mystery with a
kick-ass female protagonist, then you might enjoy Edited Out and the Murder in
Boston Series.

Oh, I can't forget to mention that this book has a contender
for the worst sex scene in a novel, not explicit, but certainly dressed with
the oddest dialog, which I can only hope is an attempt at humor by the author:

Love me, Nick.Love me like bread.Tear me to
shreds and consume me.

Buon appetito!

From the book's description:

When writer Dennis Carson buys a gun and goes missing, his
wife Laura hires P.I. Carla Ferrari to investigate. After Dennis turns up dead
in Boston Harbor, Detective Nick Calvi of the Boston PD joins his ex-lover
Carla on the case. What was Dennis Carson working on and what did he discover
that marked him for death? From the author of Al Dente: a Murder in Boston, and
the Silent Chanteuse, Cynthia Westland brings you her latest murder mystery;
Edited Out.

Book One in the series is Al Dente: A Murder in Boston.

In this book, the reader becomes part of the story as
Private Investigator Carla Ferrari and Boston Police Detective Nick Calvi
uncover a series of clues to solve three twisted, diabolical murders. During
their search for the killer, Nick and Carla reignite an old romance that's been
smoldering just beneath the surface. Three wealthy women, all in good health
are designated by the medical examiner as 'cause of death undetermined.' Every
step that sends Carla and Nick into the dangerous world of a serial killer
moves them closer to their personal destinies. Unmask the killer and solve the
mystery of the three dead women and choose the ending to the story.

Here are direct links to the two books in the series so far, at Amazon.com:

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I am Candida Martinelli, and I review books set in Italy or Ancient Rome, or about Italy and Italian culture, or about hyphenated Italian culture. My site is family-friendly. Authors and publishers please click the image to visit my Contact and Reviews page.

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Women's Fiction - Psychological Novel

A retired couple visit Venice. Review: "It read as a middle age marital crisis at first, then everything changed and I couldn't put it down." Review: "This charming story is an armchair visit to Venice that gives mature women renewed hope of second chance love and has a surprising twist to the mystery." Click the cover to go to the book's Amazon.com page.

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Gina Accornero's quiet life is threatened when the media invade her sleepy seaside town in search of a disgraced TV star, Robert Granieri. "This romantic tale...is spiced with a rich satire of the wired world we live in." Click the cover to go to the book's Amazon.com page.

Romance - Family Life Novel

Two hyphenated Italians find each other and love. "A Modern Multicultural Fairy Tale: This sweet modern romance is chock full of matchmaking and happy endings for everyone concerned, with the exception of the obligatory ogre, who gets his just desserts while the happy reader develops an inexplicable craving for bagels." Click the cover to go to book's page at Amazon.com.

Traditional Murder Mystery

A retired woman visits Italy and gets involved in murder. "An old-fashioned who done it with plenty of suspicious characters, set in modern day Italy." Click cover to go to book's page at Amazon.com.

Italophile Short Stories

Crime, murder and male-female relations, a la Daphne du Maurier. "well-crafted" and "unpredictable" Click image to go to the book's page at Amazon.com.

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An Italian Europol officer deals with crime and women. "...reminded me a lot of the show Criminal Minds" Click the cover to go to the book's age at Amazon.com.

Gilded Age 9-Book YA Mystery Series

Debutante Violet deals with family and crime in 1899 New York City. "I adored this sweet little book" Click the cover to go to the first book's page at Amazon.com.

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